You guys, you guys, you guys: everyone’s favorite ginger prince, Eddie Redmayne, is officially considering becoming the most celebrated Hufflepuff this side of Cedric Diggory. According to Variety, the actor is the current frontrunner for the role of Newt Scamander in J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, her second foray into the wizarding world of her own creation.

Following the unofficial rumor mill that included names like Eleven himself (Matt Smith) whoever ends up nabbing the role will be taking on a major role. Because it’s not just a single, solitary movie that’s being made (this is 2015 — of course not), but rather a trilogy, with the first film confirmed to be helmed by Deathly Hallows‘ David Yates.

For those of you interested in a bit more of the speculatory nitty-gritty, apparently Mr. Hawkings’ cinematic double “was intrigued by the part but wanted to wait for a finished script before committing.” Now that he’s read it, “insiders say that … he is very happy with what he has read.” At least so say the folks at Variety (but they feel like the ones who would know).

Neither a prequel nor a sequel to Rowling’s beloved Harry Potter series, Fantastic Beasts is actually set in the worldwide wizarding world — taking place in New York about seventy years prior to the Boy Who Lived’s story. It will follow magizoologist Scamander, a world-renowned scientific wizard studying the world’s magical creatures. As it currently stands, Warner Bros. has yet to comment.

What say you to a Redmayne’d Newt Scamander? Prefer someone else? Let us hear it in the comments.